Prohibition and Hudson

The Eighteenth Amendment, which prohibited "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors," was ratified on January 16, 1919. The Volstead Act, which provided for the enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment, was passed on October 28, 1919. But even before the Volstead Act was passed, Prohibition was having an impact on Hudson. Last month, Gossips shared reports from the Columbia Republican that indicated C. H. Evans Brewing Company had switched to producing a non-intoxicating beverage called "Checona," while the saloonkeepers of Hudson worried about how they would stay in business.

The editorial page of the Columbia Republican for August 12, 1919, contained two items that addressed Prohibition. The first talks about the mock-tails of the day.

A little research into Prohibition mock-tails suggests that the names created for the drinks--for example, Klondike Fizz, Prohibition Sour, Minnehaha Maid--were often very local in nature. The Minnehaha Maid was invented at a soda foundation somewhere in Minnesota. Given that mock-tails are trending, it would be fun to know the names and recipes for the drinks with the "intricate and 'jazzy'" names being ordered in Hudson a hundred years ago.

The second item on the editorial page of the Columbia Republican for August 12, 1919, comments on the "false hope" that folks might still be legally permitted to make cider and wine in their own homes for their own use.

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